T.J. Holmes apparently won’t be missed if he gets the boot from Good Morning America following his affair with co-anchor Amy Robach!
As you most likely know by now, the scandal between the GMA3 hosts erupted back in November when they were caught getting cozy with each other — despite still being married to their respective partners, Marilee Fiebig and Andrew Shue. Shortly after the news of their relationship broke, Amy and T.J. were removed from the show while ABC determined if they violated company policies – and it’s not looking good for them! Since then, reports have come out about T.J.’s other extramarital activities during his time at GMA, including a claim he “was a predator who took full advantage of his position” with a younger employee.
If all this is true, it’s wild the 45-year-old was not fired already. However, sources recently told The Sun he and Amy are definitely out of their jobs at GMA3, and they’re preparing their “exit strategy” now. While ABC executives might be upset about having to let go of the pair, the production staff might be celebrating the news – at least when it comes to T.J.’s exit. Why? Well, it turns out he was an absolute nightmare to work with at times!
Related: T.J.’s Ex Marilee Fiebig Preparing For Legal WAR With This Move!
According to a report from Page Six on Tuesday, the reporter was hated by on-set staff members because he allegedly would terrorize them. One insider told the outlet:
“He terrorizes the staff. They hate him. He yells at producers, snaps at people and people don’t want to work with him.”
Another source said T.J. was “snooty” and “nasty” to other employees, while the first insider noted that it was never a good idea to get on his bad side since “he holds a grudge.” An industry insider even claimed T.J. was known for being “a douche … long before this scandal erupted,” adding:
“He loves himself, and really thinks he’s a huge star. He acts like he’s hot s**t. He’s nicer when he’s around the top anchors, but if he’s not with them, he acts like he runs the place and isn’t as nice.”
Now where have we heard all of this talk about creating a toxic workplace before… *cough*Ellen*cough*
And he doesn’t just put on a front for his fellow anchors. Apparently, the top execs saw a different side of T.J. and completely adored him. In fact, an insider shared with Page Six that his recent performance reviews from the higher-ups given to head of talent Galen Gordon had nothing but positive comments, including praising him for “being versatile and a go-to.” The reports also applauded his “ability to handle the hardest of news but also light stories with heart and warmth,” and to bring “context to difficult stories and always finding that critical nugget … [a] Swiss army knife, if you will.” They added:
“‘GMA’ execs said each day they try to figure out where to best deploy T.J. to improve the show. The only criticism … was that … [he] can be slow to respond or non-responsive when producers reach out to him.”
A fifth source also came to T.J.’s defense, sharing that he’s had to work harder than anyone else at ABC. Describing him as “overworked and under-supported,” the person explained:
“He had a heavier work load than everyone else. He wasn’t just presenting his segments. He was producing them. He did double duty for years. If you were on the ball, you were fine. If you dropped the ball or did mediocre work, he wasn’t one to bite his tongue, but he was always professional.”
Furthermore, Page Six mentioned that T.J. had to “climb his way back” to his top position after previously working as an anchor at CNN and BET – meaning he had to go back to overnight shifts at ABC. A sixth source said:
“That was probably demoralizing for him, and that might have reflected in his behavior, but he’s no worse than any other television talent.”
While there’s a disagreement over T.J.’s alleged behavior toward production staff, the same insider stressed that “T.J. is good at his job” at the end of the day:
“He’s meticulous and he holds people to [high] levels of accountability. Not everyone wants to work that hard — he’s an excellent journalist and they all get pegged as being difficult because they are meticulous.”
At this time, neither T.J. nor his reps have responded to the allegations. However, a source close to the anchor slammed the claims, calling them “transparent and baseless character assassination against T.J.” They then warned:
“ABC News talent to be prepared … you could be next!”
Oof. The more that comes out about T.J., the more it seems like there is no way he’ll be returning to GMA! Reactions to the latest in the scandal, Perezcious readers? Sound OFF in the comments below.
[Image via Good Morning America/YouTube]
The post T.J. Holmes Used To 'Terrorize' Production Staff, Claim <i>GMA</i> Insiders! appeared first on Perez Hilton.